烟草在线据ABS-CBNnews.com报道编译　　烟草巨头菲莫公司正计划在菲律宾国内市场推出低价万宝路卷烟，以阻止自己的市场份额不断下滑的发展趋势。

　　由陈永栽控制的菲莫福川烟草公司给菲律宾税务局写了一封信，请求获得许可，将原味万宝路、金色淡味万宝路、薄荷万宝路和黑薄荷万宝路注册为低价类产品。

　　如果菲律宾税务局给予批准的话，万宝路卷烟的售价会更便宜，而且将与菲莫福川烟草公司所拥有的冠军、财富和Jackpot等其他低价品牌进行竞争。

　　菲莫福川公司的总裁Paul Riley说，菲莫福川烟草公司将继续将原味万宝路保持在名优类产品中，而公司的旗舰品牌菲利普莫里斯，则不会在低价类产品中生产。

　　菲律宾新消费税法规定，从2013年至2016年，菲律宾税务局对卷烟按低价烟税率和名优类卷烟税率征税。

　　到2017年，则按每包30比索的单一税率征税。

　　Paul Riley说，菲莫福川烟草公司的产量从2012年的920亿支下降到了2013年的680亿支。到2014年，该公司产量可能还会进一步下降至480亿支。

　　Paul Riley说：“这就是我们必须采取一些措施来扭转这种发展趋势的原因。更让人担心的是，我们预计这种下降趋势会继续下去，万宝路的销量在2014年则进一步减少至79亿支。”

　　Paul Riley说，卷烟产量与销量的减少，是因为消费者转向低价位卷烟的缘故。

　　《罪恶税法》的执行，使得菲律宾人所拥有的Mighty公司和英美烟草公司因卷烟消费转向更便宜的品牌而获得发展动力。

　　业内的估计显示，自《罪恶税法》从2012年开始生效以来，有25%吸食名优和亚名优类产品的吸烟者已经转向每支1比索的卷烟品牌。

　　Paul Riley说：“为阻止这种可怕的发展趋势，公司愿意大幅压缩自己的利润，推出净零售价格低于每包11.5比索的新款万宝路产品。”

　　他补充说，“公司希望，在2014年的时候，能够使销量额外增加89亿支，这也有助于税务局收取更多的卷烟税。”

评论：

　　菲莫福川要求推出低价产品来争夺市场，表明市场竞争进入白热化状态。低价竞争，的确可以夺回一部分市场份额，不过，要确保在提供低价产品的时候不要大幅降低质量，否则会使消费者抛弃这个品牌，则得不偿失了。此外，一旦各个烟草公司都加入价格战中，最终会是“鹬蚌相争渔翁得利”，烟草公司损失利润，政府损失税收，得利的是消费者，消费者会因为低价的产品容易买到而多消费烟草产品，这又与政府提高烟草税收以减少烟草消费的政策目的相背离。因此，这样的价格战打不得！

Philip Morris Eyes Selling Cheaper Marlboro Cigarettes

　　Tobacco giant Philip Morris is planning to introduce low-priced Marlboro cigarettes in the domestic market, in an effort to stem its declining market share.

　　The Lucio Tan-controlled Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) wrote a letter to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), seeking a permit to register Marlboro Original, Marlboro Gold Lights, Marlboro Menthol, and Marlboro Black Menthol in the low-price category.

　　If the BIR grants the permit, Marlboro cigarettes will be sold cheaper and will compete against Champion, Fortune and Jackpot, other low-priced brands also owned by PMFTC.

　　PMFTC president Paul Riley said PMFTC will still maintain original Marlboro products in the premium category and its flagship brand, Philip Morris, will not be produced in the low-price category.

　　The new excise tax law states that the BIR should implement low and premium tax rates for cigarettes from 2013 to 2016.

　　By 2017, a single rate of P30 per pack will be implemented.

　　Riley said PMFTC's production volume dropped from 92 billion sticks in 2012 to 68 billion in 2013. By 2014, volume may go down further at 48 billion sticks.

　　"This is why we need to do something to reverse the current trend. What is more worrying, we expect the down-trading to continue, with the Marlboro volume further decreasing to 7.9 billion sticks in 2014," Riley said.

　　Riley said the decrease in production and sales was due to the shift to lower-priced cigarettes.

　　The implementation of the Sin Tax Law has allowed Filipino-owned brand Mighty Corp. and British American Tobacco to gain momentum as cigarette consumption shifted to the cheaper brands.

　　Industry estimates showed that 25 percent of premium and sub-premium smokers have switched to the P1 per stick brands since the law took effect in 2012.

　　"To prevent this dire development, the company is willing to significantly cut its margins by introducing new Marlboro products with Net Retail Selling Prices (NRSPs) of below P11.50/pack," Riley said.

　　"The company is hoping to get an additional volume of 8.9 billion sticks in 2014 which, in turn, can help the BIR collect more revenues from cigarettes," he added. Enditem